


Better than Making Pickles

by doctoraicha



Series: Pthon Midweek Challenges 2014 [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-24
Updated: 2014-07-24
Packaged: 2018-02-10 04:30:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2010981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctoraicha/pseuds/doctoraicha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur is bored, and tries new things....</p>
            </blockquote>





	Better than Making Pickles

Arthur didn’t handle free time well. He hated being idle.

But idle he was. He was a professor, recently resigned from upper administration because his boss was a _dick_ and he was sitting at home. Back to the teaching faculty, but off in summers, and bored, bored, _bored_.

So he tried a lot of new things. He made soap, and cheese, and pickles (using cucumbers from his own garden, _thank you very much_ ). He learned to cook curry at home. He read _lots_ , and not just academic writings. He discovered fanfic, and found that he enjoyed Sherlock/John porn a little too much for a straight man.

Here he was, then, in Avalon, a gay club in the next town, for the first time ever. He had admitted to himself that perhaps he wasn’t as straight as he’d always thought (he hadn’t let himself think about it, until that summer) and looking to try yet another something completely different.

Preferably the skinny bloke in the silver lame and glitter, dancing on a plinth around a pole.

“That’s Merlin,” the barkeep said, smiling. “He’s recently single.”

Arthur smiled over his shoulder at the barman, with his long hair and smirk. “Thanks, mate. Can I send him a drink?”

“Sure you can. He likes vodka and cranberry,” the man added, reaching for the bottle.

“Top shelf,” Arthur corrected.

The man raised an eyebrow. “Whatever you say, Princess,” he said, and reached for the Belvedere.

Arthur watched a waiter approach Merlin with the drink. He could see teeth in Merlin’s grin, shiny in the poor lighting, as the waiter pointed at Arthur. He raised his glass, saluting across the dance floor.

***

He only broke eye contact for a moment, but when he looked back, Merlin was gone. He mentally shrugged, and turned back toward the bar. A tap on his shoulder made him turn his head in the other direction, and Merlin was in front of him.

“Hi.” Merlin said, voice husky under the music. His lashes swept down and he managed to look through them at Arthur, despite his height advantage.

“Arthur,” he said.

“I’m Merlin, but I bet Gwaine here already told you that.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re new here,” Merlin added.

Arthur felt the heat rising to his cheeks. “First time.”

“A _virgin_ ,” Merlin drawled, and it wasn’t a question.

“In some ways,” Arthur acknowledged. Then, brave, he smiled. “Want to help me do something about that?”

“Oh, _yeah_ ,” breathed Merlin, taking Arthur’s hand and pulling him toward the back.

***

Arthur wasn’t bored the rest of the summer… or ever again.


End file.
